Getting rid of string noise in quiet bits? (Sample provided)

H13

H13

Inspired
Hey all!

So I'm being...anal. But if you have an AFX I think we're all a bit anal.

I'm liking my clean patch, but I'm getting a fair bit of string noise (string against fretboard, string...disturbances? String noise. Noise from strings that aren't notes). For the most part they're fairly inconsequential, except for when I have a compressor and 28 litres of delay and reverb.

Here's a sample. Please let me know if I'm being too anal. (10 points for anybody who can name the song)



I suspect my guitar is due for a setup which will probably help, but any suggestion for getting rid of that patch-wise would be helpful.
 
I only heard two places with noise. One at just about exactly 0:30. Really only noticeable because the delay picked it up and echoed it for a bit.
 
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sounds fine. handling noise is all part of the guitar's charm, if you ask me and i only heard a couple of small dinks. that's quite a dark sound you've got there...i'm not sure it would cut through anything else that's going on, imo
 
Cheers for the feedback guys :)

StickMan said:
I only heard two places with noise. One at just about exactly 0:30. Really only noticeable because the delay picked it up and echoed it for a bit.
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Yeah as I said, when I don't have the delay and the other shit going on, it's fine. But when the delay grabs something...it repeats it. Multiple times. Swirling it around and reminding you. Was wondering if maybe a bit too much gain? Or if there's a frequency I could ditch?

simeon said:
sounds fine. handling noise is all part of the guitar's charm, if you ask me and i only heard a couple of small dinks. that's quite a dark sound you've got there...i'm not sure it would cut through anything else that's going on, imo
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Glad you had a listen to it especially! I'm not shocked to hear that it's more "handling the noise of the guitar" more than anything else. My Gibby is due for a setup so I suspected that may have been the issue more than anything else, but it's nice to check.

The tone is dark, but these strings are dead as fuck too. I use Rotos so it'll get plenty bright with new strings. I prefer working with "dark" sounds then brighten them up in a mix anyway.

I would've thought there were enough mids to come through at least? Generally when I do this sorta ambient stuff there won't be too much else going on.
 
well in my mind, "handling noise" is the sound of fingers on the strings. that's what i mean by it...not some strange noises coming from the body of the guitar itself
 
DalGuit said:
I would say maybe clean or change strings... was that tune "I don't want to hear about it later"?
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Swing and a miss! It sounds like you've had a bit of an Incident there! (HAHAAAaaaa my obscure bullshit not-helpful hints make me chuckle like the self-righteous wanker that I am)

But yeah, new strings are definitely in order. As is a set up.

yek said:
Yes, handling noise is like breathing between singing.

Here's a trick:
http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2..._Vol.2FPan_block_as_an_alternative_noise_gate

Dialing in the Envelope settings is important of course.
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I like that idea about "Breathing between singing" A bit like acoustic guitar, some string\finger\pick noise is going to add some qualities, so it's highly likely I may have been a tad anal here.

This patch is using 94% CPU so I don't want to add a noise gate. Cheers for the suggestion though!
 
dpeterson said:
+1 on coated strings... Elixirs :)
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No way. Go with flatwounds. I put a set on my Ibanez AK-95 (full size jazz box) just for giggles, and I'm surprised at how bright it still sounds. Also, I found that the strings are so quiet that the V-Picks I've been using, (which are really hard), make a ton of noise which really stands out on the flatwounds. That was something I hadn't really noticed before. Nylon picks are pretty much silent, by comparison.
 
I asked Kenny Burrell why he used flatwounds on his acoustic guitar, and he said he doesn't like the noise!
 
yek said:
It's not a noise gate, it's a Volume block!
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Ooh. Hello. I might have to try that.

DLC86 said:
Remember me lover, Porcupine Tree ;)

Anyway I don't hear any annoying string noise, for me some of that makes the execution feel more "alive"
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DINGDINGDING! We have a winner! I figured SOMEBODY with an AFX would listen to PT. Cheers for the feedback as well :)


dpeterson said:
+1 on coated strings... Elixirs :)
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With all due respect?

I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate coated strings.

Those who have too much time on their hands (or are odd...like me) may notice this is my second thread in 1 week on strings. I don't understand people who just go: "Eh...whatever you have in 10-52s will do". The string is the thing which makes the noise! It's the Garbage In -> Garbage Out philosophy. If the sound your string makes suck, then you could have a pickup forged in the fires of Mount Doom and you're still gonna sound crap.

I like my strings the way I like my women. Bright and Alive. I used to rock D'Addarios which sound great at first, but go dull after a few hours and then kinda suck. Ernie Balls to me sound artificial and kinda scooped almost? Coated strings to me sound like there's...well I wouldn't say a blanket but maybe a really thick veil over the speaker and once the coating's worn off, the string itself sounds bollocks. Dunlops are fine. They sound like a string for better or worse.

For me, it's Rotos all the way. They're bright, but not really zingy like the D'Addarios, they're more singy (ahhhh you see what I did there!). They've got this great midrange to them which...is what you want your guitar to have and they last a while. My only complaint is that they POTENTIALLY may be a tad inconsistent from one pack to the next, but...I'm also willing to believe that perception might be me being a tad over-sensitive as well.

And flatwound strings don't work for metal guitar. Sound awesome for cleans though!
 
As others have stated, it's just string noise. It drives me a little crazy on occasion too, but it's inherent in round wound strings. Your guitar may or may not be due for a setup, but a setup won't change this element of the guitar sound. In an effort to minimize this noise, you may want to try a bit of Fast Fret (or similar product) on your strings. It has a tendency to knock down string squeak a little bit so it's not as loud. Hope this helps.
 
H13 said:
With all due respect?

I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate coated strings.

Those who have too much time on their hands (or are odd...like me) may notice this is my second thread in 1 week on strings. I don't understand people who just go: "Eh...whatever you have in 10-52s will do". The string is the thing which makes the noise! It's the Garbage In -> Garbage Out philosophy. If the sound your string makes suck, then you could have a pickup forged in the fires of Mount Doom and you're still gonna sound crap.

I like my strings the way I like my women. Bright and Alive. I used to rock D'Addarios which sound great at first, but go dull after a few hours and then kinda suck. Ernie Balls to me sound artificial and kinda scooped almost? Coated strings to me sound like there's...well I wouldn't say a blanket but maybe a really thick veil over the speaker and once the coating's worn off, the string itself sounds bollocks. Dunlops are fine. They sound like a string for better or worse.

For me, it's Rotos all the way. They're bright, but not really zingy like the D'Addarios, they're more singy (ahhhh you see what I did there!). They've got this great midrange to them which...is what you want your guitar to have and they last a while. My only complaint is that they POTENTIALLY may be a tad inconsistent from one pack to the next, but...I'm also willing to believe that perception might be me being a tad over-sensitive as well.

And flatwound strings don't work for metal guitar. Sound awesome for cleans though!
Click to expand...

I was a tester for Elixir's new Optiweb web strings (I don't work for them so I have no stake in whether you do or don't). They really do have the feel of an uncoated string and they are plenty bright and crisp for weeks, maybe months depending on your DNA. Anyway, it'd be worth a try before discounting them.
 
H13 said:
DINGDINGDING! We have a winner! I figured SOMEBODY with an AFX would listen to PT. Cheers for the feedback as well
Click to expand...
PT/Steven Wilson is my favourite band/artist along with pink floyd, so that was an easy guess for me :)

Anyway, back in topic.. You could try to lower string noise level by reducing with a peq the frequency in which it's more evident.
Reducing compression in your chain could work too.
 
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